Apple tax row: The Irish government should tell the EU to f*** off, says Ryanair boss

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has weighed into the tax dispute between technology giant Apple and the European Union, saying the Irish government should write a letter to the EU telling officials to "f*** off".

Dubbing the EU's ruling "bizarre", the outspoken Irishman said: "One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.

(Nick Ansell/PA)

"Frankly, the Irish government should turn around - they shouldn't even appeal the decision - they should just write a letter to Europe and tell them politely to f*** off.

"The idea that you have the state aid mob - who've had more court verdicts overturned than any other department in Europe in the last 20 years - come along 10 years after the fact and say, 'No, we didn't like that, we think you should have done something else', is, frankly, bizarre."

(Virginia Mayo/AP/PA)

On Tuesday, Europe's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager slapped the maker of iPads and iPhones with a EUR13 billion (£11.1 billion) tax bill. She claimed Apple paid just 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014, and said its arrangement with the Irish government is illegal under state aid rules.

Apple is set to challenge the decision, and O'Leary added: "I think there's no chance of this surviving a court ruling in Europe. There's certain things that Europe has no competence in."

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